LESSON: History of United States Steel in Gary, Indiana
11th Grade United States History

OBJECTIVE:
  • Students will discover local history through powerpoint presentation which contains a variety of primary source documents including written documents, photographs, documentaries, maps, and political cartoons.
  • Students will use a variety of different methods to analyze the primary documents.

MATERIALS:
  • History of U.S. Steel in Gary PowerPoint Presenation
  • NARA Cartoon Analysis Worksheet
  • NARA Written Document Workshett
  • NARA Documentary Worksheet
  • KWL Chart
  • SEA Worksheet

ACTIVITIES:
  • The slideshow will be shown to the whole class as an inclass presentation
  • Students will follow along with the show, doing the activities as they are presented

SOURCES:

Map of Gary
http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/histpoly/bigott/CALUMETMUSEUMWEB/ABOUTTHEREGION.htm

Gary Documentary
http://www.break.com/usercontent/2007/5/Gary-Indiana-Midtown-The-Central-District-292811.html

Black and White map of Gary, IN
http://bl-libg-doghill.ads.iu.edu/gm-web/imdb/images/gary_indiana_vicinity_24.jpg

Gary, Indiana song from the Musical "Music Men"
http://www.hamienet.com/midi7798_Gary-Indiana.html

U.S. Steel Homepage
http://www.uss.com/corp/company/profile/history.asp

IUN Photo Gallary
http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/collections/steel/

New York Times Article
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D05E7D7133BE733A2575AC0A9649C946097D6CF

Harper's Weekly Political Cartoon
http://www.harpweek.com/09Cartoon/RelatedCartoon.asp?Month=June&Date=22

Lane, James B., City of the Century


Julie,
This is a very interesting activity! I am sure there is a little more interest these days about Gary, Indiana since Michael Jackson just passed away. I think your students will find the way you approach the subject interesting!
Jeanine

Julie, I didn't want to mess up you page, but the discussion isn't working and won't let me post to it. As a child, we used to drive from Battle Creek to my Aunt Mary's in southeast Chicago. We always drove through Gary and the 5 kids in the car always complained out how stinky the town was. Your presentation answered questions that I had then as we were driving through...specifically "Why did anyone put this town here?" The proximity to Lake Michigan, Chicago, and the railroad lines makes sense. Thanks for sharing your project. Will you actually use this with your students? They should enjoy it AND learn how to evaluate and analyze those primary sources. Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Mary


Julie, This was all very interesting information. Gary is not too far from where I live, and I have driven through it on several occassions. This would be an excellent source for me when talking about big business in the early 1900s. It is shocking how these towns were so prosperous during some points, but have been decimated during hard economic times. I like your use of maps, and I think they were very appropriate for this activity. Great job!

Blair